Of All The Things

Earlier this week, I talked with a friend who is really going through a challenging time. He is feeling lost, trapped and hopeless.

He told me that his discomfort is all he can think about. It’s with him whether he’s at work, at home, out for a jog or in a restaurant having lunch with me, his good friend. He sees everything in his life through the lens of what is not right. I understand what he is doing. I have done this too, so I know how hopeless it can feel.

I wanted to do something, say something that would make him feel better. I really get that I cannot make him feel better, that is up to him, but that didn’t stop me from racking my brain wondering how I could help. I kept asking, of all the things I know, what can I share with him that will knock him out of this dark place? Of all the things I’ve learned, how can I get him to change what he is focusing on? I thought long and hard and as we said goodbye, here’s what I did…

I told him I understand him and I believe in him. I told him that he is a treasure to me. I told him I love him and that he is not alone.